Smoke Break
by Ladyalchemist85
Summary: A brief exchange between Seras and her familiar Pip after a successful mission. A new organization looks to make an enemy of Hellsing. Seras, Pip, and the rest of Hellsing must face this new enemy head on without the assistance of Alucard who is still missing. Oneshot drabble turned into something more. PXS. Rated T for smoking and language. Rating may change.
1. CH1: A quick smoke break

I have recently re-watched Hellsing Ultimate, the Abridged version, and re-read the manga and have fallen in love with the anime all over again. I came here to read some PipXSeras stories because they are one of my favorite ships! I found that there was not as many as I thought and so several stories have been floating in my head I decided to make an account to write them up! For my first submission I have chosen to do a one-shot but if interest exists I may add some chapters to it. My small addition to the SerasXPip fanfic takes place after the war - but before the return of Alucard.

I do not own Hellsing... I wish I did, because there would be a lot more action for our favorite Frenchman and his Mignonette!

 ** **UPDATE 9/4/2015** :** I have decided to continue this little drabble! I am still trying to work out how the story will go because I had not originally planned to continue but will post another chapter soon!

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Seras Victoria sighed as she finally slumped into her coffin after another mission was completed. With Alucard still missing from the Hellsing organization her missions had been coming in more and more frequently. This time overseen by Sir Integra herself, or as she had taken to calling her in _His_ absence, Mistress. This mission her Mistress had again been able to find fault in her actions, she had been too slow to dodge away from the blessed holy metal that had been fired in her direction. Their adversary was nothing of note and had been taken down without much of a struggle and yet the question remained as to how they had gotten their hands on such precious metal in the first place. Someone was supplying them and those were the true targets that needed to be silenced. Healing her wounds had required her to drain not one but two bags of the medical blood - something she still found distasteful...

"I would have thought that after having a taste of my blood it would be more agreeable, n'est pas?" She could feel Pip wink as he pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it.

"I thought I asked you not to smoke inside of me, Captain," She sighed as she knew she was fighting a losing battle and drug her fingers down her face wincing at the smoke she could taste. She pointedly ignored the question that he had asked. She knew of the feelings that he had for her... or at least she knew of his attraction for her but she still didn't know how to respond to them.

"Ah yes, ma chere, you did... But you must allow a dead man some small comforts," he said as he took a drag off of the lit cigarette. She felt him shift through her left arm and out through her body to sit on the floor beside her coffin, blowing the smoke away from her face. "Better?"

"Better." She said as she moved so that she was sitting next to him, her head leaning down to rest on his shoulder as she fell asleep.

He sighed at the speed in which she had succumbed to her exhaustion, glad that it had enabled him to see this side of her. Not for the first time in his life he wished this time would never end, but he knew that she would find small comfort in sleeping on the floor and so scooped her into his arms and placed her lovingly into her coffin before closing the lid. "Sleep well... mon amour."


	2. CH2: And so it begins

I didn't plan on this to be any more than a one shot drabble but thanks to the people who were kind enough to review it I couldn't stop thinking about how I would continue it. Thank you Zgirlly, chadtaylor020, and rougequeen69 for taking the time to read my little entry into the Hellsing fanfiction! I hope you enjoy the next chapter as well.

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Chapter **2:**

A week later found Pip pulling the coffin lid aside to wake Seras. "Time to wake up my little flower!" His overly cheerful attitude caused her to groan. Pip stood above her offering her his hand, lit cigarette already dangling from his mouth.

Seras took it and moved to get ready for the evening, "So what have you been up to today, Captain?"

"Watching the new recruits and their commander. They had their first mission with Hellsing today, had their cherries pop so to speak" He made a poping sound and chuckled as the blush climbed her face.

"Must you be so crude?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say?"

"How'd they do?"

"According to them they are the best slayers of this century... According to my men they were decent enough that only a few pissed themselves."

"Well at least they were better than the first time we met," She made an impression of him as the Frankenstein's monster. "I didn't even have to convince them that I was a vampire!"

"Yes well how I was to believe that a little thing like you could be a scary monster? And besides my men may have had a talking to them before they met you."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Really?"

"Well... They couldn't have the new guys hitting on the Captain's girl so to speak." He dodged just as a hairbrush came flying at his face. He put his hands up in a motion to defend himself. "Their words not mine, ma chere!"

"And I'm sure you had nothing to do with that!"

He rubbed his chin for a moment, "Well nothing besides the Captains prerogative..."

"I'm not sure I want to know what that means."

He broke into a huge grin, "Only that the captain gets first dibs on any good looking girl he sees".

This time he wasn't as lucky as the thrown shoe connected with the bridge of his nose.

XxXxX

Seras left her basement room after she had the Captain return to the walls of the house. Her Mistress had informed her that a man would be coming to the mansion to request help from the organization. This of course brought suspicion onto him at once - he hadn't gone through the usual channels and Sir Integra wasn't taking any chances. That was what the mission the new members of the Hellsing organization had been on earlier that day, tracking and locating the area that was supposed to be under attack by an army of ghouls and a crazed vampire. Seras had known it had been hard on Pip not to be included in the group. She knew that he still thought of the few geese that remained as his men and disliked not being able to lead them into combat. But orders were orders and Sir Integra had been adamant about his staying out of the fight and in the mansion for the day. Her Mistress had wanted the confrontation between her and Mr. Brennan to be observed unnoticed. She had hopes to unnerve the gentleman into revealing information of the plot against them.

XxXxX

Pip returned to his duty of covering the mansion acting as Seras' shadow and watching the inhabitants go about their evening activities. The house was quiet, staff moving about with nothing out of place, like a well oiled machine. To be honest he found it rather dull after the past couple of months dealing with the Major's nazis and of course his own death. Alucard's disappearance had caused some expected concern but trust it that the British would carry on and work through whatever was handed them. In truth the mercenary missed the elder vampire. He would never admit that to anyone, of course, but that red coated bastard did have a way of making things entertaining.

His attention was drawn to the barracks that his men and he had formally occupied. There were far too few geese now. Most of them killed the same night he had been. He shuddered at the memory of attending his own funeral while in Seras' body. Replacements had arrived not too long after the final battle with the Major. All of them seasoned veterans of the art of war but to Pip they were still wet behind the ears when it came to the supernatural. He wondered briefly if this was how Seras and the others had viewed his men when they were first recruited. He scoffed at that... _His_ men were special, they were the Wild Geese after all, the baddest mercs out there.

XxXxX

The man could feel it the instant his foot entered into the Hellsing mansion. This feeling of being watched, of being inspected. He was in no way a small man, stout and pushing six feet, in his mid forties with a head that was already balding and turning gray. It was obvious that stress was not new to his life. His cheap, faded, and rumpled suit was fraying in places and added to his overall unkempt appearance. He dabbed at his forehead with a cloth handkerchief before approaching the door. It gave him chills as he was greeted by the cool tones of the Hellsing's butler and was shown into the meeting room with the mansion's owner. He shuddered visibly as she indicated for him to have a seat.

Dressed in her usual impeccable pant suit Sir Integra was already seated at her desk the with the letter announcing her visitors arrival on the workspace in front of her. She indicated the document. "If I am to read this correctly, Mr. Brennan, you are here to give me a vital piece of information regarding the state of affairs in your little town... Where was it again?" She asked around her lit cigar. She pretended to go and re-read over the letter before she again met his gaze. She smiled, "well it doesn't matter anyway, because we both know that this is a lie... Don't we Mr. Brennan?" Her eyebrow raised at the question as she crumpled the letter and tossed it in his face.

The man slowly took a breath and moved his sweating palm through his thick brown hair. "I-I didn't send the letter... so I couldn't tell you what was written on it..."

"But you do admit that it is not the truth.." She flicked the cigar into the waiting ashtray on the desk.

"Yes... I was told to come here to... to request your help..."

"But we both know what you really were sent here for was to set the trap, hoping that I would take the bait and in doing so leave my house unprotected. Isn't that right?" She glared at him from behind her glasses and placed her hand on the letter in front of her. "My men have already found and disarmed it, the only reason you're still breathing is because I want to know who you work for."

At this the man grew even more pale, "Please you have to understand! I wasn't given a choice, if I hadn't agreed they were going to torture my wife and children!" He threw his head into his hands shaking in fear.

"You should have realized the allies you made do not care for mere humans and their promises aren't worth a pin. Your family has already been found murdered by the same monsters who sent you to me, they were dead long before you even made your deal." She threw the pictures of the massacre at the man sitting in the chair.

He could just see the corner of the most gruesome one of his wife's corpse in several pieces through his fingers and began to sob and cry, his tears splattering the photos with salty droplets.

Sir Integra stood up and pulled him up by the lapels, slapping him across the face. "You should have known better than to make the pact with the devil and then have the audacity to confront me in my own house!" She tossed him onto the floor. "Wal-", she cut herself off before she could finish the name of her late butler. She quickly recovered herself, "William!" The newest Hellsing butler appeared at the door with a deep bow. "Remove this filth from my presence at once."

"At once Sir." The butler wasted no time in clearing her room shutting the door behind him.

Sir Integra butted out her cigar and sat in chair, her annoyance clear on her face. She wondered briefly if she had over done it with the pictures of the man's family. She hated seeing a man cry, it always pissed her off. If she could control her own emotions than surely a grown man could keep himself composed. He was still British, even if he was an Irishman. The man had of course been a dead end with no useful information gathered from the encounter. Still she was encouraged by the success of the mission that the newest recruits of Hellsing had been on. True, they were no Wild Geese, but they seemed capable and able to get the job done. She pulled another cigar from her desk and moved to light it and spoke to the walls surrounding her, "Let's hope your investigations prove to be more useful."

Laughter echoed back at her, "Oh don't you worry, Sir, ma chere will find these bastards for you."

XxXxX

Seras Victoria coughed roughly as her familiar Pip re-entered her form through her shadowed arm. "Captain you reek of smoke."

"It's my nature ma chere, I can no more change it than you can eat human food."

He wasted no time and filled her in as to what had occurred in Sir Integra's office and the request to further investigate the incidents surrounding the visitor. Seras quickly phased through the building and morphed the shadows surrounding her into her black wings and flew after the dismissed visitor.

* * *

 **AN:**

I choose the name Brennan because I found that one of its meanings include sorrow. I felt it suited the characters situation perfectly.

 **Brennan - Ó Braonáin (The word braon has several meanings, possibly sorrow in this case):** The name of four unrelated septs, located in Ossory, east Galway, Kerry and Westmeath. The county Fermanagh sept of Ó Branáin was also anglicized Brennan as well as Brannan.

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	3. CH3: Black bird

Another chapter up! I believe that I have a very good idea of how this story will play out. I'm not sure how many chapters there will be at this point but I know it will be at least 2-3 more (probably more). Thank you for the reviews again! I was not expecting to have this many to be honest! Thank you for your words of encouragement rougequeen69 and snakewithwings!

Also I'm glad Master of the Boot liked my idea with Mr. Brennan. I wanted him to be realistic. He knew in the back of his mind that his family was already doomed when he made the deal, and couldn't go back on his morals and so confessed to Sir Integra when it came down to it. I think that even if Sir Integra had not known about the trap he still would have confessed. (I am speaking of my characters as if they are real... . But to me they are becoming that way!) Also I believe that there is a huge difference in drinking blood in the heat of the moment and drinking it on a day to day basis. In my story Seras realizes she must drink to survive, especially since Alucard is gone, but it does not mean that she has to enjoy it, she respects where it comes from and therefore can maintain her sense of humanity.

Thank you for noticing the detail in Mr. Brennan's name as well maroongrad! I am a believer that a name should encompass what the character is about. It is just another way to get to know them and is just as important as the description of what they are wearing and their attitude. This will also be used in the next chapter as well when we meet some new male characters of my own design.

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Chapter **3: Black bird**

Seras and Pip leaned up against opposite walls of the underground bunker their weapons drawn as they moved to clear the area. It had taken them several days of following Mr. Brennan before they had located the underground bunker. Without much incident, not even a round fired, the area was cleared and Seras holstered her weapon and punched the wall in defeat. The fist size hole rained broken shards of concrete and dust on the floor. "Not only did we lose sight of Mr. Brennan but now we have nothing, all that work and we got nothing!"

"Oh, not true my dear girl," Pip indicated several empty boxes emblazoned with the mark of a black circle enclosing a black cross with three dots in red across the horizontal beam.

"That's not much help, Captain..." She moved over to closer inspect the contents of the near empty wooden box. A thick, coarse, silvery dust flecked the bottom and she moved to touch it before Pip stopped her.

"Don't touch that!" He yelled pulling her hand away from the box.

She glared at him but folded her arms across her chest, "I know what that is... It's not if I was turned yesterday you know..."

"Then you should know better than to touch it!" He ran a finger in the dust before pulling his hand back in shock. He examined the digit carefully, the pain still searing into his skin.

"You can't touch it either now... You're undead as well in case you've forgotten."

He smiled quickly to spare her from worrying, "of course I know ma chere, but this, this is nothing more than a flesh wound!" He brushed his hand on the left side of his uniform before pulling out a near empty cigarette case and a pen knife. Removing the last one from the package he placed it behind his ear and used the pen knife to scoop some of the powder into the case.

"Then it shouldn't have mattered if I had touched it or not!"

"Oh no! it mattered," he took a deep mocking bow before continuing, "while you are on my watch I will not let anything hurt you." Seras couldn't help but roll her eyes at his attempt at being the gallant knight. He straightened and walked towards her, placing the case into the top pocket of her uniform. "Well come on then, we need to get his information to the boss lady."

Seras blushed as she felt his hand brush against her and glared at him.

He gave a small laugh, "I could hardly place this in my uniform... What would happen to you if you absorbed me with it on my person?"

Her gave her a playful wink before moving towards her arm. She stiffened as she felt her familiar... no she couldn't call him that... as _her_ captain returned to her. Her ebony wings unfurled as she made her way back to the Hellsing estate. The trip was short but it gave her enough time to ponder when she had began to think of Pip as hers... Unbeknownst to her Pip had a front row seat to her internal monologue and for the first time in a long time he began to have hope that his little draculina would be receptive to his advances.

XxXxX

The figure adjusted a knob on the long range black binoculars keeping the vampire in view as she touched down and released her long haired familiar. The emblem on their patches clearly visible and identifying them as operatives from Hellsing. As they disappeared into the building she retrieved her handheld radio and depressed a button. "Black Bird to Haven, Black Bird to Haven. Site E03 has been compromised, I repeat site E03 has been compromised. Over."

"Haven to Black Bird, Site E03 compromised confirmed, proceed with plan Delta Echo Alpha Tango Hotel 563. Over."

"Black Bird to Haven, Delta Echo Alpha Tango Hotel 563 confirmed, over." The figure lowered the radio and binoculars waiting until the two Hellsing agents left the site before disappearing into the nights gloom.

XxXxX

Sir Integra examined the drawing that Pip had drawn of the insignia found at the site. The ever present William at her side. "And you said this was the only marking found... Nothing else?

"That and this powder, we believe it to be silver based," Seras opened the case and handed it to Sir Integra. "It's hard to tell if it has been blessed, but it did burn the Captain when he touched it."

Integra closed the lid without touching the powder inside. She handed it to William. "Take this to the lab and have the boys analyze the compound. Have them compare it to the metal in our own ammunition. I expect results promptly. Also set up a meeting with our own blessed metal supplier. Set it for tomorrow evening, I want to have the results of our own analysis before speaking with them."

"Of course," he left with his customary bow and heel click.

"He reminds me too much of Walter when he does that," sighed Integra.

Seras said nothing as she waited for her next set of instructions, not really knowing what she could say in the situation. She too thought often of how much alike the two people were... She had even searched William's quarters one evening when he had first been hired on. She found nothing of course but still couldn't shake the feeling of mistrust she had when she looked at him.

"Well then, Seras, you are dismissed. I will expect you to be present during the meeting with the suppliers, until then you can spend your time as you see fit." She made a gesture of dismal and motioned towards the door.

Seras placed her hand over her heart and bowed, mirroring the way Alucard had done, "Yes, my mistress."

XxXxX

The darkness of the room was interrupted only by the small glow of the candles resting in the crevices of the wall. The lone male in the room rested in his red velvet chair and made the image of a royal listening to his court. His features obscured by the shadows but the tell-tale glint off of the man's canines identified him as a vampire. The vampire waited for the woman to finish her report before speaking in a low and throaty voice thick with an unidentified accent. "I knew that they would follow the fool... His conscious took hold of him at a most inopportune time. But this too was planned for."

The only other person in the room kneeled in reverence. She still wore the black clothing from the field. Her young face was pale but did not hold the pallor of the undead, long black hair held back in a tight braid and her blue eyes were fixed on the vampire in front of her. The woman nodded, "I must admit that I was surprised to find the bunker near empty when I arrived. I did find Mr. Brennan hanging around the place, but I took care of him before he could meddle any more. And not a minute too soon, I had just finished cleaning up when she arrived."

"He served his purpose, now the Hellsing organization will have found the planted evidence and won't realize they are chasing a rabbit down the wrong hole." The dry rasping of the vampire's laugh filled the room, giving it an echo that only increased the feeling of gloom. "They think they have sprung the trap? Let them bask in their mistaken safety..."

The gleam of joy glinted in the woman's eyes. "I look forward to day I can gut that vampire bitch myself."

"She is my gift to you," the vampire stood and strode over to the woman cupping her face in his hand. "My blackest bird, my raven of death, will feed on the corpses of our enemies soon enough."


	4. CH4: The Order of the Holy Nails

I've been thinking about how to write this chapter for a few days, and have been tweaking it several times. I am happy about how it turned out. I want to send thanks to the people who have reviewed the latest chapter! Thank you Gabrielmizore311 and Snakewithwings. I am going to be having more SerasXPip interactions soon. I just don't want it to feel rushed. While at the end of Hellsing Ultimate it seems that they were having a more familiar relationship I don't want to rush them into a romantic relationship right away. They are getting used to this new relationship as vampire/familiar and I think that after this chapter Seras will be more open to his more arduous feelings.

 **Master of the Boot** : Actually I am a huge fan of the Blade series among other vampire stories. If it had a vampire in it I probably have seen it. I also have an interest in forensic cases as well. I work in the medical field and finding out the cause of someone's illness is very much like trying to find the killer in a mystery novel.

When I was thinking about the story I almost went with Silver Nitrate. However I decided to go a different route because I want it to be obvious that someone is trying to set Hellsing up. Silver sulfadiazine is something I use very often as it is the main component of Silvadene ointment and is used primarily for burns. When on the skin it has a tendency to turn from a white ointment to a silvery/gray powder that flakes off of the skin. I've taken some liberties with it in the story but I also increased the concentration of the silver. I still appreciate the suggestion!

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Chapter **4: The Order of the Holy Nails**

Sir Integra walked into one of the labs in the lower levels of the mansion, her posture stiff and unyielding. The scientists had the good sense to say nothing and make room for her excursion. "You have the results that I requested?"

"Yes, Sir Integra," the lead lab technician handed her a folder of information and waited for her to open it before continuing. "As you can see it is impossible to detect if the metal has been blessed. However, the main component is listed in the 3rd column. As was surmised by the field team it is a compound of silver. The first column details the silver components and composition of our own ammunition while column two lists the components that are known to be used by the agents of the Vatican."

Sir Integra closed the file as she heard the approach of William. "Sir Integra, the gentleman you requested to meet with have arrived. I have them waiting in your office as instructed."

"Very well, " she handed the closed file to her butler, "Gather all of the information we have regarding the incident with Mr. Brennan's family and have that brought to my office as well."

"Already done Sir." He presented her the file with a small smile. "I took the liberty of informing Miss Victoria of where they were waiting as well, she told me that she wait for you outside of your office."

She handed the file back to him unopened. "Let's go, I have questions that need answered."

She quickly made her way up to her office with William following close behind. She only stopped when she reached the door to her office where Seras leaned against the side of the door. The young vampire had been having what appeared to be a heated discussion with thin air. Sir Integra correctly surmised that the vampire must be having a disagreement with her familiar. It took a moment before Seras noticed her mistress and promptly stood at attention and gave a salute.

"Mistress, reporting as ordered."

"At ease, Seras," She motioned for her to open the door.

"Oh! Right, of course sir!" She opened the door and stood to the side to allow both Integra and William to pass before shutting the door behind herself.

"Gentleman, it's been far too long." The three men stood as they entered the room.

The tallest gentleman spoke first. "It is not often that we are asked to meet with one of our biggest clients."

Sir Integra sat at her desk and motioned for them to take their seats as well. Seras and William took up positions at the side of the room against the wall, ready if needed but not in the way of the meeting. The three gentleman were well groomed and wore suits that were both in style and appropriate fit.

"Matthew, Mark, and John wasn't it?" Integra pulled out a cigar and move to light it.

The man addressed as Mark spoke up. "Actually it's Luke now, our last Luke passed away of natural causes several days ago."

Integra proceeded to light her cigar taking a large puff before continuing. "So you are now promoted and are the new lead medical examiner for the group."

The man addressed as Matthew, and the same one who had spoken first, answered. "As you know our organization's leaders have always been titled after the Apostles. Our duties directly relate to the names given..."

"Yes, I'm well aware... Matthew is given to the man in charge of the financial responsibilities, Luke is the medical examiner..." Integra looked at the one addressed as John, "Although I don't seem to recall what your title referred to. I digress, however, the reason I asked for this meeting to take place is that I have reason to believe that Hellsing is the target of a new organization. My agents have found several items that I would like you to examine." She motioned for William to give the contents of the folder to Matthew. "The symbol is one that I do not recognize but it was on several ammunition boxes in an underground bunker. As a supplier of these types of materials I was hoping that you would have more information as to its origins."

Matthew opened the file and took a brief moment to examine the symbol. "This is the mark of the Order of the Holy Nails. They are the largest suppliers of Holy metals to the Vatican agents."

"The Vatican you say?" Integra took a long draw on her cigar before continuing. "We have already had trouble dealing with some of their agents in the past, I doubt that they would be willing to start another fight so soon."

Matthew flipped through some more pages until he noticed the chemical analysis and passed the contents to Luke. "I see that you have already had your labs assess the contents of the containers and compare them to the ammunition used by the Vatican."

"I said I didn't think they would start another war with us, I did not say that I was stupid. Every angle must be examined in order for us to find the ones responsible for this."

William made a small coughing noise and indicated Integra's cigar whose ashes were about to snuff it out. She knocked it against the waiting tray before continuing. "I would like to know your opinion of the results, Luke."

He took a more studious look as he continued to read the document. "It appears they found a powdered form of silver sulfadiazine in the boxes. It's not something that is usually used in ammunition and I have never seen it in this concentration. In fact I have not seen this compound used in anything but in the medical field."

"That was the findings of my own staff as well, was it not?" Integra's face broke into a small, smug smile.

Luke closed the file and handed it back to Matthew. "Of course, your team as always are top notch. It also explains why you wished to meet with us as well."

"If this compound is not utilized in the manufacture of ammunition then why was it located in the boxes that were clearly marked with the symbol of a supplier to the Vatican? There can be only one answer..." Sir Integra paused and leaned back in her chair.

Matthew handed the file back to William. "It appears that someone is attempting, and poorly at that, to instigate another war between the Vatican and Hellsing."

XxXxX

Soon after the discussion ended leaving Seras to be dismissed to her room in the basement. Once they were alone Pip phased out of her body and again took up his argument from before the meeting. "There is something wrong, and you know it!"

Seras tried to ignore him and absentmindedly scratched an area on her left chest. "I'm fine!"

"If you are fine then let me look! You've been scratching and bothering that area since our last mission!"

She was happy when they finally reached her room. "I told you, Captain, there's nothing there... Just a nervous tic that I've developed..." She sighed. She was too tired to continue her argument with him and just wanted him to drop the subject.

"I'm not giving up on this... And if you don't let me look I will be forced to do something unpleasant."

The smirk on his face did more to help his cause than anything. _And knowing him he probably knows how handsome he looks with that face too..._ "Fine, you can look. But don't let me catch you looking anywhere else!"

He had the good sense to look taken aback. Seras un buttoned the top two buttons of her uniform baring only the spot in question to his gaze. To his credit Pip only made a quick glance at the swell of her bosom after he had examined the spot in question. Luckily for him Seras was too busy trying to hide her blush to notice. Without giving her warning or chance to smack him he bent down and laid a quick kiss to the reddened area.

She turned her head and tried to slap him. "What was that!"

"I thought that would be obvious, ma chere, I was kissing it to make it better!"

She re-buttoned her top and took a step back from him. "It'll be gone tomorrow, you didn't need to do anything."

Realization suddenly dawned on him. "That's from where I brushed off that silver on my vest, isn't it? Why didn't you just say so!"

"I didn't want you to worry. And like I said it'll be gone by tomorrow. You heard what they said in the meeting, it's a higher concentration than usual and it is just taking a little time to work out through my skin."

Pip closed the distance between them in a stride. "Promise me that if it doesn't you'll let me know."

She was about to make a quip about it but saw the actual worry in his eye. "I promise."


	5. CH:5 The Vatican Section XIII

I got some bad news over the last weekend. I've been dealing with the fallout since then. It has sapped my brain giving me a serious case of writers block... I still wanted to get another chapter up, so here it is, but it is also short.

Thank you for the reviews and encouragement Gabrielmizore311, Snakewithwings, and Guest!

 **Master of the Boot** : I always look forward to your reviews and am glad that you are enjoying the story so far!

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Chapter 5: The Vatican Section XIII

"For the last time, chief Makube, I have not ordered nor sent my men to attack agents of your organization." Sir Integra was pacing back and forth along the length of her desk as she talked with the replacement of Enrico Maxwell. The battered remains of the cigar on the desk and the blanching of her knuckles did little to hide the sheer amount of anger and frustration that she was feeling.

"I, of course, believe you. Unfortunately my brethren are less apt to take the words of a protestant woman such as yourself at face value."

In the background barely audible came a voice that yelled out. "Protestant whore!"

"Shall we meet in a neutral place to discuss this further, I do so hate to discuss such matters over the phone."

"Fine. Meet me at the same location that we have used in the past." Sir Integra let the sarcasm drip from her voice, "And do try to be on time."

XxXxX

Sir Integra approached the same spot she had been with her last meeting with the Vatican with William not far behind. She examined the painting next to the section of wall that Alucard had phased through the last time they had been here. She found herself wishing that he would show up again, even if it meant that she would have to deal with his smart mouth. She turned her head as she heard the footsteps approaching. "As always the Vatican remains unable to use a simple clock."

Chief Makube approached followed by one of his agents, Heinkel Wolfe. Both wore their robes of office. Whereas Makube's face was an unreadable blank slate his companion wore one of mixed annoyance and fury. The bandages around Heinkel's face did little to hide the damage that had been done during the last conflict.

"Forgive our rudeness," Makube bowed his head slightly, "We were detained by some of your men."

"I told you already and I will only repeat this once more. They are not my men."

"Then explain those!" Heinkel shouted with the lisp caused by her injuries and threw several bloody patches at Integra's feet. The patches had the insignia that unmistakably identified them as Hellsing. "Do you take us for fools?"

"No, I take you for idiots." She gave a smirk at the rage apparent on Heinkel's face. She indicated for William to pick the patches up. He handed her one of the less bloodied ones for her to examine. She turned it, looking at it from all angles before speaking. "It's a fake. A very good imitation but not good enough."

"Of course you would say something like that!" Heinkel sputtered.

"Now, now, we must remain calm." The soothing voice of Makube was directed to his subordinate.

Sir Integra held up the back of the patch to the eyes of the Vatican agents. "This is missing a crucial element that all but one of our patches carry. And so it is a fake."

"You sound very confident." noted Makube.

"Of course. If you remember we had an incident some time ago where my organization was attacked and my men turned into ghouls. We now have a mechanism in place in our patches containing a small but lethal dose of silver. Once triggered by a soldier it can inject the liquid silver into the body thus preventing the conversion to a ghoul or to kill the ghoul once turned." She smirked at the look of astonishment on Heinkel's face.

"The implementation has been recent, but all of the men currently serving under Hellsing have these upgraded badges. This is obviously the work of someone who was not aware of the changes and their attempt to cause a disruption between our organizations. I'm sure you would agree, chief Makube, that another fight between our groups at this time would not be in your best interest."

Makube's strained voice was the only indication of his annoyance at the outcome of the discussion. "No, it would not." He turned on his heel and beckoned for his subordinate to follow.

William waited until the two were out of earshot before remarking. "That went rather well, did it not, Sir?"

"Of course it did."

"And sir, I was not aware of the changes made to our updated patches as you put it."

This time the smile reached Integra's eyes. "As I said to them, it was a _very_ recent addition."

At this he actually let out a small laugh. "As you say."


	6. CH:6 Patches

A/N First I want to apologize for my very long delay… I had some medical issues that took me out of commission for a while and then my computer died. I could not afford to purchase a new one and did not know how to upload from my phone. I am very sorry!

* * *

The woman known only as Raven waited patiently as she watched the meeting take place between the Vatican and the head of the Hellsing order. She had gotten as close to the group as she possibly dared but was still unable to hear the conversation taking place. She cursed under her breath, her superior would not appreciate the lack of information that she was about to present him. She was about to take a step forward but stopped short when she felt then saw the eyes of the bandaged man staring in her direction. Far better to have little information than to risk discovery and the plan. She would just have to tell her Master what she knew and hope for the best.

XxXxX

For once Seras woke without the sound of her familiar pounding on her coffin. She quickly dressed and gulped down the provided bag of blood trying not to gag on the taste of plastic and headed up to where the Hellsing troops were training. As she approached she found Pip in discussion with some of his former men, giving feedback on what appeared to have been an exercise involving the obstacle course they had set up. She crumpled the empty bag of AB+ and threw it in the nearby trash can before approaching the group.

"I was wondering where you had gotten to," She addressed Pip as he spun around to face her.

Even when he wasn't her familiar it always seemed that he could sense her presence, and now that he was technically a part of her he was even more sensitive to where she was.

"Ahh, yes, Ma chere, I apologize for not being there when you awoke from you slumber. Perhaps to avoid it in the future I should sleep with you in your coffin?" He smiled warmly as his former men laughed at his suggestive comment.

"I don't think so, Captain, with the way you snore I wouldn't get any sleep!" She joined in on the laughter that her comment caused, glad to feel the comradery.

"I do not, nor have I ever snored!" Pip blustered back.

"Next time I'll have to record it then," Seras smirked back at him enjoying the sight of him caught off guard for once.

It only took a moment before Pip's face returned to his own smirk, "Since when have you been watching me sleep?"

"I…I didn't! It wasn't on purpose… I just so happened to be walking by you room one night!"

Luckily she was saved another of his sarcastic comments due to the arrival of her Mistress with several of the men from the arms development team. She waited till the men had stopped their laughter and were paying attention before speaking.

"We've just developed a new patch that will be worn by all those under the command of the Hellsing organization." She nodded to the men who had followed her as they began to hand out the new patches. "These patches are loaded with a lethal dose of silver. If you are bitten and survive you will be expected to deploy the patch injecting yourself with the dose and thus preventing your transformation into a ghoul. If your comrade is bitten and he does not survive you are to deploy the silver before he is turned into a ghoul. If you are unable to prevent ghoulification you are to proceed as normal and exterminate the threat with the usual tactics. You will place these on your uniforms without delay. Is that clear?"

"Yes, SIR!" was the combined response of the entire group.

XxXxX

Chief Makube paced in his office, showing his agitation in his movements, muttering curses under his breath. Heinkel stood patiently waiting allowing the Chief to have one of his rarely seen moments of annoyance.

"That protestant COW!" he smacked an object off of his desk and didn't even miss a step when it shattered on floor. "I thought we had her this time! After all how was she going to defend herself against an unprovoked attack on the Church by her own men!"

"I still say that her men and her are responsible, she has to be lying! Please let me strike back for our lost comrades, we cannot abide this outrage!" Heinkel was shaking with barely kept fury.

The Chief gradually stopped and took a seat behind his desk, calming himself before speaking. "No… we can't afford to be rash. She will be expecting it… We need to plan this carefully… At least we can be thankful that her pet dog has not returned to her. One cursed vampire is enough to deal with… And at least she does not share all of her Master's qualities."

XxXxX

If Mr. Brennan had looked unkempt when he was alive he looked even worse now as a ghoul. His clothes were even more ragged then before and deep slashes were torn into his jacket and pants where it looked like he had been attacked by a wild beast. And that would not be far from the truth as he had met up the Master vampire he had betrayed. His handkerchief, his one prized possession given to him by his wife, fluttered from his pocket to the dirt covered floor of the large dark room, covered in blood. He bumped into the ghoul standing in front of him and groaned in response. The rest of the room echoed from the multitude of ghouls as they joined in.

The army was ready…


	7. CH:7 The Plan

I don't think I have read all of the manga then… I must have missed some! I did not know they were already a couple .. Now I need to re-read! I have always loved reading cute get together fictions and that is what I had planned to do for this one. I'm a bit of a sap… .

The holidays have made it more difficult to write the update. Also I had my birthday and am going to be starting a new job that will be 3 12 hour days instead of 5 days a week. Hoping that means that I will have more time for stuff that I want to do! I worked the holidays because nursing doesn't stop for holidays! However it did give me some ideas for the story.

Also did anyone catch my Raven reference? If you didn't know it… I am a huge Steelers fan, born and raised in Pittsburgh… and I really dislike Ravens…. Hehe

* * *

Chapter 7: The Plan

Seras and Pip stood near the corner of the wall by the training area and watched as the troops received their patches and swiftly began to attach them to their uniforms.

"I'm surprised soldiers and mercenaries know how to sew." Seras stated as she watched the progress.

"Mercenaries, if not soldiers, know the value of having certain skills at one's disposal, ma chere. Sewing is useful not only for patch work such as this but when it comes to keeping oneself together as well." He gave her a rougeish wink. "I have several other skills that I could show you if you allowed me."

Seras blushed and looked pointedly at the ground, "I'm sure you do…".

The new commander picked that time to approach the two holding a new patch in his hand. "New orders from the top, need to have these on all the uniforms."

Pip ripped the patch out of his hand and threw it to the ground. "Are you stupid or just plain crazy?"

It took only a brief minute for the realization to strike the commander before he mumbled an apologize and quickly beat an escape back to his live troops.

Seras tried unsuccessfully to hide a chuckle. "I think you may have scared a few years off of his life, and you say that _I_ scare people."

Pip smiled at her, "As I said before, I have many talents". He bent down as if to place a kiss on her lips but instead continued further to pick up the patch. He caught Seras as she unconsciously leant in to return the kiss before she righted herself and pretended that it hadn't happened. He turned it over to examine it, careful to avoid the trigger that would release the silver. "I can't help but think that these would have been useful if we had had them earlier."

"But then you would be gone for real, and I wouldn't have you as my familiar." She pulled the patch from him and placed it in her pocket. "I… I couldn't have dealt with that, not with Master leaving as well. I couldn't lose you…".

Pip ducked behind the wall pulling Seras with him, pressing her into the wall as he captured her lips with his own. He broke away from the kiss when she hadn't responded immediately.

"Ah, sorry ma chere, you were saying such nice things about me that I couldn't help myself!" He grinned at her.

She stammered as she spoke, "It's not that I didn't want… it or like it… I was surprised."

Pip's face relaxed as she spoke, brushing the mussed hair out of her face. "I am glad that I am able to be here with you. As your familiar I have even more time with you. If I were still human I would…"

Seras silenced him as she pulled him in for another kiss. She held him close, "You're not allowed to leave me… You can't."

"Don't worry so much, you're going to be stuck with me for a very long time." He released her only when he heard William clear his throat.

"Sir Integra has requested to see both of you in her office as soon as possible." He turned on his heel before walking back to the house with both Seras and Pip close behind him.

XxXxX

Integra was sitting at her desk as they walked in. "Thank you, William, that will be all for now."

"Of course, Sir," He closed the doors behind him as he exited.

"Sit," she directed them to the chairs in front of her desk. "As you are well aware we are preparing for the altercation with this, as of yet, unknown, group. Our plan heavily utilizes your unique abilities. I expect that you will not disappoint in this." She took a drag on her cigar and ashed it before continuing. "Our plan is to use the upcoming Christmas celebrations to draw them in." She stood up and walked to the board set up in the corner of the room that had blueprints of the building and grounds pined to it. She indicated where areas had been drawn in the hallways and some of the smaller rooms. "Here we will be placing barricades and cover areas. We are expecting to have them enter the building from this point here." She moved and indicated a point on the map on the grounds. "We will hide the majority of our troops in these rooms here, here, and here." She pointed to the areas on the map. "They will be fully equipped and will remain there until our trap has been sprung. The rest of the force will be on the grounds, pretending to be indulging and intoxicated. They will be equipped as best they can be while still appearing to be off duty. Their weapons and other items will be located within grasp and will be hidden in the tents and crates around the area. Captain and Seras, you will be providing reconnaissance on the grounds until first contact is made. Afterward you will join the remaining forces and assist as you see fit. Your main objective will be to locate their leader and take them down. I want them brought to me alive, if possible. They have stirred the hornet's nest and they will pay the price. Any questions?"

"No sir!" They both said in unison.

"Good, I will be having the rest of the troops receive their briefing shortly. I want both of you to start your reconnaissance tomorrow night. We have only a few days before Christmas and I want this mess cleaned up before the first of the year. You are both dismissed."

After they both had exited the room Integra called for William. "Have these plans delivered to the commander of the forces and continue the preparations in the house. Inform him that he should conduct the briefing as soon as possible and to have his troops ready to go at a moments notice."

"Of course, sir". He bowed slightly and left to do as directed.

Integra moved back to her desk, wishing again that she knew where Alucard was. She had relied on him for so long that not having him near her was disconcerting.

XxXxX

Pip and Seras began walking towards her room. The briefing with Integra had taken some time and they both had wanted to see the preparations that were already under way. They had physically visited every area that she had indicated on the blueprints, speaking with the construction teams at work.

"What do you think of the plan?"

"It's a good plan… It depends on forcing the enemy to make the first move, so I wonder how long it will actually take. I think it will work only if we can make a target that is just too good to pass up. But still I expect it to take some time before they bite."

"Do you think that the barricades will hold?"

"I think that having them built before hand will ensure that they stand a bit longer. When we were building them the last time we had to use whatever material we had on hand. Some of them were not very strong. I wish that we had the foresight for these before… it could have saved more of my men. But as they say hindsight is 20/20."

Seras turned to look at him, concern written on her face, "I'm sorry we couldn't save more of your men. I know they meant a lot to you."

"They were mercenaries, they knew that it was part of the job… They knew that there was a chance they wouldn't come out of it alive."

"Sounds like a hard life."

"What of you? You were a cop before this, right? That job also carries some risk with it as well, no?"

"I suppose you are right," She sighed, "it's not something I expected. I mean we know it could happen. But it happened so rarely that I guess I took it for granted that everything would be O.K. Until one day it just wasn't."

"That's when you met your Master, isn't it?"

"He saved me. He killed me first, but he saved me. He gave me a choice."

They had arrived back to her room and she moved to the table where her dinner sat. She sighed as she moved to the chair. Before she could move the chair she found that it had already been moved for her. Behind it stood Pip, gallantly indicating that she should sit.

"My lady, may I present your dinner!"

She tried not to smile and failed miserably. "Pip, I would never think that anyone could make those blood packs seem appetizing. But I think that you have done it."

"Who said anything about the blood?" He gave her a suggestive wink. "Although I would consider myself more of a desert dish, myself. I am sweet, tasty, and go straight to your hips!"

"Pip!" She yelped in response.

"My dear draculina, I told you I would show you my moves. I intend to do so." He bent down and blew on her ear, "Now eat your dinner, no desert if you don't finish every drop."

She gulped and quickly tore open the packs before pouring them into the provided bowel and started to eat.


End file.
